So many of my greatest blessings aren’t my doing. I didn’t choose to be born into a good family or to have great kids. Those things were thrust on me, and I’m better for it. But the reverse is also true. Forces outside our control can be catalysts for tragedy, loss, and even a bad mood. As much as I’d love to claim I have a firm grip on life’s steering wheel, it’s often the case that I’m in the back seat, driven by things I can’t change.

Topping the list of things I’ve never understood are people who enjoy fitness. I have never felt a runner’s high, lifting bliss, or any other euphoric rush from exercise, which makes it all the more strange that I invest so much time and money into it. To name a few things that have drained my bank account: weights, benches, fitness apps, protein powder… and that doesn’t even scratch the surface. I have a room in my house set aside as a gym. At one point, we considered making it a playroom for the kids, but the thought of someday having a six-pack was just too compelling.

You’re deep in sleep, probably around 3 AM, when you feel the tap from an unknown person hovering over your face. Instincts take over as you, in one motion, yelp at an octave you didn’t realize you were capable of and leap out of bed ready to fight. “Daddy”, the intruder whispers. “I have to pee.”